Electric



(No Mom.) 2 sheets-sheet 1. J. H. ROBERTS. ELECTRIC APPLIANGB FOR DUMB WAITERS. N0. 517,169.

Patented Mar. '27, 1894-.

2 sheets-sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. H. ROBERTS..y ELECTRIC APPLIANGE EUR DUMB WAITERS.

Patented Mar. Z7, 1894.

IWlii!!! W/TNESSES:

' /NVENTOH UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. ROBERTS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC APPLIANCE FOR DU IVI B-WAlTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,169, dated March 27, 1894. Application tiled September l1, 1893. Serial No. 485,239. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern;

Be it known that I, JAMES H. ROBERTS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Appliances for Dumb-Waiters, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in electric appliances for dumb waiters and other forms of hoisting or elevating apparatus, and consists first, in the novel switches hereinafter described located at the upper and lower ends of the waiter shaft and operable by the moving hoist or carriage to break the electric circuit and thus automatically stop the movement of same at. the points where it may be desired toload or unload the waiter;and, second, in the novel switch hereinafter described operable from the revoluble knob or handle on the rheostat and through whose conductors and contacts the current from the main line must pass on its way to the reversible rheostat, which in the combination presented performs its usual functions of offering the resistance and affording a convenient means of controlling the current and determining the direction of movement of the waiter, hoist or carriage.

The switch forming the second part of the invention comprises two pivoted arms connected by a link to insure simultaneous movement and each carrying at its outer end two independent elongated contacts adapted to be brought into electrical connection with and complete the circuit between the conductors leading from the cut-off switch in the waiter-shaft, and the conductors leading to the rheostat. The switch board has eight terminals or contacts, four at its upper portion for connection in pairs by means of the two contacts on one of said pivoted switch arms, and four at its lower portion for connection in pairs by the two contacts on the other of said arms. rlhe pivoted switch arms being connected by a link will have asimultaneous movement but not a simultaneous active operation, since as said arms are moved to cause the contacts carried on the end of one thereof to connect the four upper terminals in pairs to complete one circuit,the arm carrying the other two contacts will be carried away from the four lower terminals and break the previously existing circuit. Thus when the outer ends of the switch arms are in their upward position the circuit will be formed through the four upper terminals, the electrical connection between the four lower terminals being broken, and when the outer ends of the switch arms are in their lowerposition the circuit will be formed through the four lower terminals, the electrical connection between the upper terminals being broken. The pivoted switch arms are operated from the switch plate or arm of the rheostat, the said plate being provided with a shoulder which during the movement of the plate will meet the said arms and elfect their proper movement, las hereinafter explained.

In accordance with my invention the movement of the dumb-waiter is placed under absolute control, and may be caused to move either upward or downward or come to a full stop by the attendant, who will simply have to turn the knob or handle of the reversible rheostat in the proper direction. At the ends of its line of travel the carriage or waiter automatically breaks the circuit and arrests the hoisting apparatus, the re-establishing of the circuit moving the waiter in one direction being prevented by the position of the waiter until the latter by means of a circuit through the switch at the opposite end of the shaft has-been moved lin a direction opposite to its former travel.

The invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a vertical section through a dumb-waiter shaft and part of a building and illustrating the application thereto of electrical apparatus constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged face view of the rheostat and connecting switch board, the neutral position ofv the pivoted switch arms being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 3 is au end view of said switch board; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the upper double-pole switch located in the elevator shaft and provided with the cord hereinafter referred to by which the automaticlatch provided for said switch may be released when it is desired to cause the IOO ascent of the dumb-waiter from the lower floor. Fig. l of the drawings being on a reduced scale, the connected switch arms on the board adjacent to the rheostat have been omitted therefrom for clearness of illustration, but said arms are fully shown in Fig. 2.

In the drawings A designates the dumbwaiter; B the shaft through which the waiter travels, and C, D, floors of the building.

The waiter A is operated by suitable hoisting mechanism of the usual construction set in motion by an electric motor, not shown, whose field and brushes are by conducting wires a, b, c, d, respectively, connected with the rheostat E, the wires a, b, being the conductors for the iield and those lettered c, d, the conductors for the brushes. The rheo stat E is of well known construction in which the current may be readily reversed for the purpose of reversing the motion of the motor shaft and hence determining the direction of travel of the dumb-waiter, the motion of said shaft in one direction causing the ascent of the dumb-waiter and in the opposite direction the descent of same. The rhcostat E is provided with the knob or handle F, of nonconducting material, which when turned causes, in the usual manner, the customary movement of the arm G, the said arm when turned upward from a horizontal or neutral position completing the circuit to cause the descent of the dumb waiter and when turned downward from said horizontal or neutral position effecting the reversal of the current and causing the ascent of the waiter.

The rheostat which I have employed with advantage in carrying my invention into effect and have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, is the one known in the trade as the Crocker-Wheeler reversible rheostat. In the shaft B at suitable points to be acted on by the dumb-waiter at the ends of its line of travel are secured the switches H, IVI, which, with the exception of certain features hereinafter particularly referred to, are the well known Bryant double pole-switches marketed under Letters PatentNo. 391,943, issued October 30, 1888. rlhe features which I have added to the Bryant switch for the purposes of the present invention are the hinged bar I and springs J, K, either or both of which springs may be employed, the object of the springs being to give the bar I a normal tension outward. The bar I is a plain liat bar hinged at one end and pivotally secured at its inner face to the outer end of the actuating thrust rod L of the switch. The barI for the upper switch H is hinged at itslower end and thence extends normally upward and outward at an angle into the shaft B, and the bar I for the lower switch II is hinged at its upper end and thence extends normally outward and downward into the shaft B, the outwardly projecting ends of said bars I being sufficient in extent to be met by the dumbwaiter during the movement of the latter and pushed inward toward the switch proper for the purpose of breaking the electric circuit and arresting the operation of the motor, thus permitting the dumb-waiter when reaching the end of its line of travel to automatically break the circuit and come to a full stop. The spring J is a coiled spring encircling the actuating switch rod L and exerting a tension outward against the hinged bar I, and the spring K is a folded flat bar spring interposed between the base M of the switch Il and the hinged bar I and likewise exerting an outward tension against the bar I, the two springs assisting each other in drawing the bar I and actuating rod L outward to their normal position after said bar has been automatically released by the traveling away of the dumb-waiter or manually released by thc freeing (when used) of the safety catch N provided to lock the bar] at its inward position when pressed toward the switch by the dumb-waiter as hereinafter more fully described. The double pole switches I-I, II, are in electrical connection with the main line wires or conductors O, P, and are also, respectively, in electrical connection with the auxiliary wires or conductors e, f, and g, h, leading to the switch board Q adjoining the rheostat E. When the bar I of the upper switch I-I is in its outward position the main line wires or conductors O, P, and auxiliary wires or conductors e, f, are at the switch in electrical connection with each other, and when the bar I of the lower switch H is in its outward position the main line wires or conductors O, P, and auxiliary wires or conductors g, 7L, are at the switch in electrical connection with each other, while when the upper bar I is pressed inward the main line wires O, P, and auxiliary Wires afare at and by the upper switch I-I thrown out of electrical connection, and when the lower bar I is pressed inward the main line wires O, P, and auxiliary wires g, h, are at and by the lower switch II thrown out of electrical connection. The auxiliary wires or conductors c, f, lead from the upper switch H to the stationary contacts or terminals t', j, of the switch board Q, and the auxiliary wires or conductors g, h, lead from the lower switch I-l to the stationary contacts or terminals m, n, of the switch board Q. The switch board Qis provided adjacent to the contacts i, j, with the contacts q, r, and adjacent to the contacts m, n, with the contacts s, t, the said contacts ,j and s, t being folded spring metallic strips whose upper por tion is free and has when pressed outward a spring tension toward the lower portion which is secured to the switch board. The contacts ,j, and s, t, substantially form pockets to receive, respectively, at the proper time the elongated contacts u, c and w, carried respectively by the non-conducting switch arms R, S, which are pivoted to the board Q and connected to have a simultaneous movement by the link T. The contacts q, r, and m, n, are spring metallic strips bowed upward at their center to positively engage with thc IOC..

IIC

lower surface of the elongated contacts u, t, and w, respectively, the latter contacts being metallic strips'of sufficient length to connect the contacts t', j, with the contacts q, fr, or the contacts m, n, with the contacts s, t, according to whether the outer ends of the arms R, S, are moved upward or downward. From the contact or terminal q a conducting wire a passes to the post V of the rheostat E and another conducting wire b passes to the contacts, and from the contact t one conducting wire c leads to the contact r aud another, lettered d to the post W of the rheostat. The elongated contacts u, lv, and w, are carried by the outer ends of the arms R, S, and slide against the surface of the conl tacts q, r and fm, fn, and their purpose is to form an electrical connection between the contacts t', j, and q, 7', or between the contacts m, 'n and s, t. The inner ends of the arms R, S, extend over the edge of the rheostat E in position to be met and moved by the stud e on the arm G as the latter is actuated by the knob F to travel upward or downward from its neutral position.

In explaining the operation of the mechanism constituting the invention, it may be assumed, for convenience, that the dumb-waiter A is at rest midway between the iloors C, D, and that it is desired to cause the ascent of same to the floor C for the purpose of receiving goods for transmission to the floor D. When the dumb-waiter is thus midway between the floors, the arm G will be in its neutral or horizontal position, and the contacts u, u, and w, fr, will be entirely free from the contacts t', j and s, t. To establish the circuit and cause the dumb-waiter to ascend it will be necessary simply to turnthe knob F to the left, carrying the arm G downward and causing the stud e to depress the inner end of the arm S, thus the outer ends of the arms R, S, are moved upward and the contacts u, 'u thereon connect the contacts t', j, with the contacts q, fr, while immediately following such electrical connection of said contacts,

the said arln G completes as usual the circuit through the rheostat, the result being that a complete circuit will be formed from the main line wires O, P, and upper switch H through the auxiliary conductors e, f, contacts i, j, contacts u, t, contacts q, r, and conductors a,c,

d', to the rheostat, and that the dumb-waiter will ascend until it reaches. the door C and its upper side edge passes against and presses the bar I inward to break, at the upper switch H, the electric circuit, at which time there being no circuit the dumb waiter will remain stationary. The dumb waiter thus by its own upward movement against the bar I automatically breaks the circuit and comes to a full stop, and while thus at rest the dumbwaiter maintains the bar I at its inward position and thereby prevents any renewal of the circuit from the main line wires O, P, through the switch H to the wires c, f. After the dumb-waiter has received the goods for transmission to the door D, the knob F will be turned toward the right, carrying the arm Gupward over the face of the rheostat and causing the stud e to meet and move upward the arm R, thereby depressing the outer ends of the arms R, S, withdrawing the contacts u, o, from the contacts t', j, and moving the contacts w, to connect the contacts m, fn, with the contacts s, t, underwhich condition the electric circuit will be complete from the main line wires O, P, and lower switchH through the wires g, h, contacts mm, w, s, t, and wires d', b and d', to the rheostat, and the dumb-waiter will at once descend until its side edgestrikcs the bar I and pushes the same inward to break the circuit at the lower switch H, at which time the waiter will come to a full stop and while stationary will retain the bar I of the switch. inward to prevent any reestablishing of the circuit through the lower switch. After the dumb-waiter starts downward and leaves the bar I of the upper switch H, or starts upward from the bar I of the lower switch H, the action of the springs J, K, is such that the bar will be immediately forced outward to its inclined position to establish an electrical lconnection through the upper switch H from the main line wires O, P, to the wires e, f, or from the said main line wires O,P, through the lower switch H to the wires g, h, as the caseA may be, thus the switches I-I after the waiter moves away from them automatically restore the connections with the main line wires preparatory to the circuit being established to elevate or lower the waiter by turning the knob F toward the left or the right. It is thus plain that the operation of the waiter is under the absolute control of the attendant, who by simply turning the knob F may cause the waiter to ascend or descend or come to a full stop, at will. The waiter stops automatically at the ends of its line of travel'and may be arrested at any other point by turning the knob F to bring the arm G to a neutral position.

Ifdesired the upper switch H may be provided with a spring catch N, which will lock the bar I when the latter'is forced inward by the waiter A and maintain the same in its inward position during the descent of the waiter and while the same remains stationary at the bottom of the shaft B. It will be observed that when the bar I of the upper switch H is locked at its inward. position and the waiter is at the floor D, the circuit through the upper switch H cannot be completed to permit or effect the ascent of the waiter until the catch N has been freed, and hence the cord X is extended from said catch to the iioor D and arranged so that upon the attendant having finished with the waiter he may pull the bell-cord and free the catch N and bar I, permitting the latter to spring outward and enable the attendant on door C to cause the ascent of the waiter in the manner described above. The catch N and cord X are only necessary as safety appliances to prevent the IOO attendant fromturning on the current to elevate the waiter before the attendant on the floorD has iinished with the same. The catch N and cord X are to be operated from the floor D, and hence until this floor is through with the waiter and the cord X has been pulled to free the catch N the apparatus is inoperable to effect the ascent of the waiter. I do not, however, confine my invention to the employment of the safety catch N.

In the accompanying drawingsI have illustrated the invention as applied to dumbwaiters, but I do not confine the invention to dumb-waiters alone nor to its use in connection with any special form of elevating apparatus.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In electrical appliances for dumb-waiters and the like, the double-pole switches operable by the waiter or hoist, and the main-line conductors leading thereto, combined with the reversible rheostat, the pivoted switch arms operable therefrom and carrying the elongated contacts, the conductors leading from the switch board to the said double pole switches, and the conductors leading from said switch board to said rheostat; substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In electrical appliances for dumb-waiters and the like, the double-pole thrust-and-draw switch having the hinged bar secured to the thrust-and-draw rod and provided with a spring giving said bar and rod a normal tension outward, combined with the main line conductors leading to said switch, the auxiliary conductors leading from said switch to stationary contacts of a switch board, the adjacent reversible rheostat, auxiliary conductors passing from said switch board to said rheostat, and a switch over said board and operable from the said rheostat and carrying contacts adapted to connect the said auxiliary conductors in circuit; substantially as set forth.

3. In electrical appliances for dumb-waiters and the like, the double-pole switch operable by the waiter or hoist to break the circuit and the main line cond uctors leading thereto, cornoined with the rheostat, the switch board adjacent to said rheostat, auxiliary conductors leading from said switch board to said doublepole switch, auxiliary conductors leading from said switch board to said rheostat, and a switch operable from the rheostat to connect said auxiliary conductors in circuit; substantially as set forth.

4. In electrical appliances for dumb-waiters and the like, the double-pole switches at opposite ends of the line of travel of and operable by the waiter or hoist, and the main line conductors leading to said switches, combined with the reversible rheostat, the switch board adjacent to said rheostat, auxiliary conductors leading from said switch board to said rheostat, auxiliary conductors leading from l said switch board to the upper of said double pole switches, auxiliary conductors leading from said switch board to the lower of said double-pole switches, and a switch operable from the rheostat to connect either the auxiliary conductors for the upper double-pole switch and the auxiliary conductors to the rheostat in circuit or the auxiliary conductors for the lower double-pole switch and the auxiliary conductors to the rheostat in circuit; substantially as set forth.

5. In electrical appliances for dumb-waiters and the like, the double-pole switches operable by the waiter or hoist and connected with the main lineconductors and auxiliary conductors leading to a switch board, combined with the reversible rheostat adjacent to said switch board and connected therewith by auxiliary conductors and the connected pivoted switch arms operable from the rheostat to complete the plate contacts on said switch board at the ends of said auxiliary conductors, the reversible rheostat adjacent to said switch board and connected therewith by auxiliary conductors, the plate contacts on said board for said last named conductors, and the pair of connected pivoted switch arms operable from said rheostat and carrying the elongated contacts adapted to connect the conductors of either double pole switch in circuit with the rheostat; substantially as set forth.

7. In electrical appliances for du nib-waiters and the like, the double pole switches operable by the waiter or hoist and connected with the main line conductors and auxiliary conductors leading to a switch board, combined with the plate contacts on said switch board at the ends of said auxiliary conductors, the reversible rheostat adjacent to said switch board and connected therewith by auxiliary conductors, the plate contacts on said board for said last named conductors (the outer rows ot' said contacts being folded plates forming pockets), and the pair of connected pivoted switch arms operable from said rheostat and carrying the pairs of elongated contacts adapted to enter said pockets at the extreme of their movement and connect the conductors of either double pole switch in circuit with the rheostat; substantially as set forth.

8. In electrical appliances for du nib-waiters and the like, electric switches in the elevator shaft in the path of the waiter, combined with the reversible rheostat, the switch board adjacent thereto, the switch arms thereon operable from the rheostat, and conductors from said switch board to the rheostat and said switches; substantially as set forth.

9. In electrical appliances for dumb-waiters IOO aimee o and the like, an electric Switch in the elevator Signed at New York, inthe county of ew lshaft in the path of the Waiter, combined with York and State of New York, this 8th day of the reversible rheostat, the switch board ad- September, A. D. 1893.

jacent thereto, the switch thereon operable JAMES H. ROBERTS. 5 from the rheostat, and conductors from said Witnesses:

switch board to the rheostat and said electric CEAS. C. GILL,

switch; substantially as set forth. ED. D. MILLER. 

